Recommend me a (push)bike

[veeeffarr]

Hi guys,

Got the ride to work thing at work, and want to take advantage of it... My budget is about £800 +/- £100, and the bike will be kept indoors so a small ULock will do for the shops.

I want to get into offroading as well when my fitness levels improve, but I don't want a rear shock as I will be road riding a lot and I think I'll get better components for the money if I don't get a shock.

I've been looking at the Specialized Rockhopper:

https://www.evanscycles.com/product.jsp?style=70265

and the Kona Kula:

https://www.evanscycles.com/product.jsp?style=70187

Are these a good choice? I take it I'll need road tyres as well.

thanks guys

T

[cagiva gezzer]

Nothing wrong with either, but they're top bikes for general use. You'd be pushed to tell the differnce between them and bikes half the price.

However, go for them if you've got the cash.

Look for 2006 bikes for a much better deal.
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"because one stroke isnt enough and four strokes waste two"

[UnknownStuntm...]

Yeah what he said^^^^^ they're both full of lovelyness. If you're spending at a proper shop you might be able to get some road tyres in the deal....

Also have a look at come Cannondale bikes, some of the hardtails are cool. And they last FOR EVER.

[EuropeanNC30R...]

[veeeffarr]

[cagiva gezzer]

There's no such thing as a bad brand anymore. Different bikes ride differently, as in some have shorter geometry. Best to sit on a few brands and see what feels ok.

Keep in mind that bars / stems are easily changed and give the bike a much nicer feel. OE bars never feel as nice as a set of nice eastons.

If you're buying from a shop you'll be able to get loads of bits thrown in for cheap as tyres / tubes generally are on 400% mark up.

Ask about maintenance schedules / cost for forks, as if you're not that good with spanners you'll need them booking in at least twice a year to keep them moving sweetly.

I'd buy cheaper and spend money on SPDs, kevlar bead tyres (ultra quick steering), 3+ pairs of cycling shorts, some wicking tops, camelback, compact tools.

No point having a nice bike with sore balls, poor feet positioning and clammy clothes.
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"because one stroke isnt enough and four strokes waste two"

[Whosthedaddy]

I must be living under a stone, but how much do bikes cost these days?

I think that my NHS Trust support the green transport bike thing and give money off if you use a bike instead of the car, but forking out x hundred pounds is just .
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Current : MSX 125 Past : CBR 900RR Monkeybike : c50 LAC : ZXR750 H2 : FZR600 : ZX7R P3 : YW100 : TRX850: Trophy 900 T309 : GSXR 600 L0: Monkeybike : XJ6S Whosthedaddy

[yzf750r]

[Whosthedaddy]

[colin1]

id never spend £800 on a bicycle, but if i did, id get something second hand off ebay

i reckon they depreciate a lot so get more for your money second hand

i also reckon a road bike is better on the road, than a mountain bike
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colin1 is officially faster than god

[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

[veeeffarr]

Ride2Work is a pretty hefty discount you know...

It's 50% off, and then you pay the balance 0% interest over 12 months BEFORE your pay gets taxed...

Wouldn't dream of spending that much otherwise...

[Dom]

I bought a rockhopper disc (not the pro one you linked) earlier this year and have loved it so far. The only slight issue I have with it is that the clearance of the pedals isn't great so on very rutted trails you have to think about that more than you might otherwise. It's a non-issue really though and if that's the worst thing I can say about it, it's doing pretty well.

For road stuff you'll be grateful for the lockable forks and the brakes are excellent. During the summer I had slicks fitted and, whilst it's never going to be as good as 100% focussed road bike, it is pretty competent, in part thanks to it's relative light weight for an MTB. One of the main reasons I opted for the rockhopper is that it's known for having a great frame so it's a good 'base' if you do want to go all out with the ridiculously trick kit at some point down the line.

I would say you want to be sure you will be getting into riding on terrain tougher than fire roads etc, because if you're not it's the smarter decision to get a road bike.

This is the model I have, but they only seem to have tiny sizes available.
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Photos and that

[cagiva gezzer]

Thing is, old bikes were good value for the money. They were steel (chro-moly) frames with rugged componets.

Now, everyone wants alu frames & suspension. This leaves very little money for componets and to actually build the frames right.

Anything below £350 is utter tat.
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"because one stroke isnt enough and four strokes waste two"

[veeeffarr]

[ram_doom]

I'd go all old school, and buy a 2001 GT Zaskar frame, some pace or rockshox sid forks, the best set of rims and shimano drivetrain you can afford, along with some magura hydraulic rim brakes

Cost you fek all, and you'd have a brilliant bike for cross country
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TL1000s, KDX200

[olionel]

I went to my grans and picked up my dads old bike, its a Raleigh from the 70's... brown frame.. really comfy seat... 3 gears.. and a good old bell
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1989 CG125 - Childhood Sweetheart (she got kidnapped by baddies)
1998 ZXR400 - Teenage Love (lasted three years, then she turned lesbian and left me)
2001 XRV750 - Wife Material (still getting to know her but head over heels in love)

[Azonicben]

[veeeffarr]

Think I'll go for the Rockhopper with Road Tyres

T

[EuropeanNC30R...]

You might not even need the road ones, I've ridden a mates 07 Rockhopper disc with the stock tyres - they're kevlar/folding as standard (so light), quite thin for an mtb these days and have quite low rolling resistance.

[veeeffarr]

[EuropeanNC30R...]

That bike has spd pedals, i.e. the ones where you have special shoes that clip into the pedal. It's a lot better when you get into cycling but for a n00b you're likely to have several embarrassing stand-still topple overs when you forget to unclip.

They do come with a plate so you can use trainers with them, but this is really an afterthought, designed for people demo-ing bikes outside the shop. They're really slippy with trainers.

You need to decide whether to buy a decent pair of flat pedals, (these can lacerate your shins if you slip off them, but very grippy so rarely happens), or go the spd route and buy a pair of spd-compatible shoes.

[Dom]

[UnknownStuntm...]

Ah come on Maurice, it's a rite of passage to be splayed across the road at a set of traffic lights still clipped very firmly into the pedals.......

[EuropeanNC30R...]

I suppose it depends on the locality of where you're riding. There's a lot of semi-technical bridlepaths here that'd I'd be annoyed I couldn't ride down if I was passing one on a mtb with slicks.

Btw Toby, if you're doing a lot of Liverpool city riding involving locking the bike up and leaving it bear in mind your seat and wheels are quick release, you've got a 300 quid fork that can be removed with an allen key too.